| Today Arizona Governor Jan Brewer announced she has directed the state Attorney General to file suit in federal court to determine the legality of AZ’s voter-approved medical marijuana program. So for the time being, Arizona’s medical marijuana law is on hold. "For the state employees charged with administering the medical marijuana program or the Arizonans who intend to participate as consumers,” the Governor said, “it's important that we receive court guidance as to whether they are at risk for federal prosecution. As explained in a recent letter from the U.S. Attorney for Arizona, the federal government considers marijuana a controlled substance.”  So federal intimidation works again by providing a plausible excuse for Governor Brewer – who doesn’t care for medical cannabis in the first place – to halt the entire program while the issue is explored.
The folks at The Marijuana Policy Project – who helped draft AZ’s MMJ law, Proposition 203 – expressed their disdain for the Governor’s decision in an email to its members: “We are deeply frustrated by this announcement," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. "The law Governor Brewer wants enjoined established an extremely well thought-out and conservative medical marijuana system. The law was drafted so that a very limited number of non-profit dispensaries would serve the needs of patients who would be registered with the state. Governor Brewer is trying to disrupt this orderly system and replace it with relative chaos. Patients would not purchase their medicine at state-regulated dispensaries. Instead, they or their caregivers would grow marijuana in homes across the state. Some will even be forced to find their medicine on the streets. We cannot think of a single individual — aside from possibly illegal drug dealers — who would benefit from Governor Brewer’s actions today. She has done a disservice to her state and its citizens.” Despite the effort and resources already devoted to implementing the program, Gov. Brewer ordered state health officials not to certify any more patients until the legality of the program is established in court. “Gov. Brewer’s lawsuit is not the first time elected officials have sought to spend taxpayer money to try to overturn a state medical marijuana law," said Karen O'Keefe, director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project and the co-drafter of Proposition 203. "Like the previous attempt, we expect her suit to fail. In 2005, San Diego County sought to enjoin most provisions of California’s medical marijuana law, including a provision requiring counties to issue ID cards to patients and providers. It proceeded despite a poll finding that 78% of voters thought the lawsuit would be a waste of money. Ultimately, every court ruled against the county or refused to hear the case, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Similarly, the only decision on whether the licensing of dispensaries would be federally preempted has also found it would not be. It looks like Jan Brewer is having a contest with San Diego County to see who can waste the most taxpayer money on a futile attempt to overturn the will of voters.”
So far intimidation has proved to be an effective weapon in the federal government’s attempt to stamp out medical marijuana – too effective. In some state’s the powers-that-be are too afraid to fight. In other states, like Arizona, the feds are just an excuse for anti-medical marijuana forces to thwart the will of the voters. We must redouble our efforts to thwart the federal government in their objectives, and we must vote out of office those in state government who aid the feds in their destruction of medical cannabis. - Joe Klare Arizona Governor Sues To Stop Medical Marijuana is a post from: The 420 Times 
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